Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli will start Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix from the pitlane after the team elected to make set-up changes in a bid to help reverse the young Italian’s alarming dip in form.
The decision follows a punishing weekend for the 18-year-old at Spa-Francorchamps, where he finished Saturday’s Sprint event a lowly 17th before slipping down to P18 in qualifying.
But Mercedes will now take advantage of parc fermé rules by adjusting the W16's configuration overnight, sacrificing his grid spot in exchange for what they hope will be a confidence-rebuilding reset.
Confidence Crisis Deepens for Rising Star
Antonelli’s early-season momentum – including points in his first three races and a pole position in Miami Sprint qualifying – has given way to a stretch of discouraging performances since the return to Europe.
Speaking after Saturday’s qualifying, the Italian described his Spa weekend as the lowest point so far of his fledgling F1 career.
“Since the European season I’ve been struggling to find confidence with the car and I feel like I’ve done a backward step,” Antonelli admitted.
“It’s a difficult moment for me because I feel like I have no confidence on pushing. Yesterday I tried to push a bit too much and then I spun, and then it kind of hurts the confidence even more.
“With the way I’m driving, I’m just increasing the problem. And that gives me even less confidence with the car.”
©Mercedes
While his raw speed and adaptability impressed early in the season, Antonelli acknowledged that recent attempts to adjust his technique may be compounding his struggles.
“On my side I’m probably trying to change the way I’m driving too much,” he said. “And it feels like I’m not driving naturally. It’s very forced, the way I’m driving, and it’s just difficult.”
More Aggressive than Russell
Antonelli also drew comparisons between his own style and that of teammate George Russell, pointing to a mismatch between his aggressive inputs and the current limitations of the W16.
“With the way I drive, I’m a bit more aggressive with the inputs compared to George,” he explained.
“I’m a bit more aggressive overall. I tend to try and carry a lot of speed into the corner. And with the limitation I have I’m just increasing the problem.
“So on my side I’m trying to change a little bit the way I’m driving to also have the balance. Because, of course, it’s impossible to have the perfect balance. I’m just trying to work on that side, but it’s not easy.”
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Mercedes has now taken the bold step of altering Antonelli’s set-up entirely in a bid to offer him a fresh baseline for Sunday’s race.
Though it means starting from the pitlane, the move is seen as a necessary intervention to help restore the Italian’s natural driving rhythm and rebuild confidence ahead of the summer break.
Still reeling from what he admits is the toughest period of his young career, Antonelli said he remains determined to turn things around.
“I’ll try to find the light out of the tunnel as soon as possible,” he said.
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